Gettysburg, and a Madison family

10:13 PM,
Jul. 7, 2013

Confederate soldiers as they fell near the center of the battlefield of Gettysburg.

Written by

Rob Neufeld
| Visiting Our Past

I write this article on the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, at which about 50,000 American men were killed or wounded over a period of three days. For Americans, it was the deadliest battle in history.

July 1-3 should be a national time of reflection. It certainly hits home in Western North Carolina.

In sparsely populated Madison County, for instance, about 30 families received news of Confederate sons who'd fallen at Gettysburg - for what turned out to be a slaughtering standoff. One family - the Askews - suffered three losses. ...